A trend in high-performance audio recording technology is to support very high dynamic ranges in the sound pressure level (SPL), which is commonly measured in dB in comparison to the threshold of human hearing as a standard reference level. The lower limit of audibility at a pressure level of 20 μPa (rms) is defined as an SPL of 0 dBSPL. Sound level measurements can be made relative to this level. For example, a pressure level of 1 Pa (rms) equals to an SPL of 94 dBSPL. An upper SPL limit may not be clearly defined and can depend on the desired application range. One problem of engineering audio systems or microphone systems is to provide architectures that accommodate large dynamic ranges with low power consumption. Therefore, there is a need to design audio systems and components to process the high SPL levels efficiently.